Tag: dog stories

REVIEW: You Lucky Dog by Julia London

REVIEW: You Lucky Dog by Julia London

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Carly Kennedy is trying to build a PR business in Austin so she can get the money to move to New York City. She’s keeping her sister’s basset hound, Baxter (her mother’s fault – don’t ask), and she pays someone to walk him. Baxter is a quiet, sad, and anxious fella but Carly loves him.

Max Sheffington is a neuroscience professor studying dogs. He’s interested in how the reactions of neurotransmitters in dogs and dog lovers could be applied to the understanding of the autistic brain. Max’s brother, Jamie, is profoundly autistic. But Jamie really connects with dogs. That’s why Max got his basset hound, Hazel – to connect with Jamie.

When Baxter and Hazel’s dog walker gets into some trouble, someone else has to take the dogs home. And that person switches the two basset hounds. Carly and Max notice immediately that they have the wrong dogs, but it takes awhile to find each other. But once they do, they see what a difference Hazel makes in Baxter’s life.

Review

The core to this contemporary romance by Julia London is the relationship between Baxter and Hazel and the one between Max and Carly. And there’s a lot in those relationships to love. Unfortunately for Carly and Max, their relationship also has about three Hallmark movies’-worth of roadblocks and drama. The ending, thankfully, is a satisfying resolution to those roadblocks.

Along the way, though, this gets wordy. I’m not big on setting and wardrobe descriptions. I skim right by those in most books if they are more than a sentence or two long. Also, too much overthinking by the characters encourages me to skim. There was a good bit of that here. I felt like I did a fair amount of skimming, especially early on. If you enjoy the more detailed descriptions and inner processing, this may be a better fit for you in that way.

The characters in this were what kept me turning pages. First of all, Baxter and Hazel are excellent. The description of Baxter before he meets Hazel is endearing and sad. But the spark he finds in Hazel is darling. Carly and Max alone are okay on their own. She puts up with a lot of garbage from her wacky family and her clients. Max can get too in his own head. But together they are great. I liked them more as a couple than I did as individuals. I also loved Max’s brother, Jamie. I would have enjoyed even more scenes with Jamie in them. I think character-driven readers will like what they find in this book. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥= Fine/Solid/Good

REVIEW: Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Mara Wells

REVIEW: Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Mara Wells

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Caleb Donovan was the only one among his brothers who stood by their dad until the end of the trial. At first he took pride in his loyalty. But in the end, he knew what everyone else knew before him. His dad was guilty, and the business empire was finished. But Caleb’s grandfather has a property – the Dorothy. If Caleb can convince his brothers to work with him on it, they could develop the property and start the Donovan real estate business over again.

Riley had built her career at Donovan properties until she was laid off after the trial. She’s been working at her grandmother’s building – the Dorothy – as the building manager, just trying to get her feet under her again.

At least, Riley thought her grandmother owned the Dorothy. But now Caleb Donovan is there, looking all too handsome for her own good, saying he’s turning the Dorothy and the adjacent empty lot the residents call a “dog park,” into his next development deal. Riley’s dog might love Caleb, but Riley is not about to let another Donovan destroy her life again. And the rest of the neighborhood dog owners aren’t letting their dog park, such as it is, go without a fight.

Review

I love romance books with great animal characters, and this is a fun one. The complexity of the housing development situation and the history between Caleb’s and Riley’s families was perfect, creating several moments where everything teetered on the edge of disaster.

I especially liked Caleb. I wanted more for him – a better family situation, more with his brothers, and for him to have all the things in life he always craved. Riley was a great blend of strength and self-sufficiency alongside her own neediness. She lost everything and was still grieving her job and her dreams when Caleb showed up. Caleb was only one piece of her journey to community and connection.

I have to wonder about the cover art chosen for the book as it doesn’t match the main dog. There is a black Lab in the story, but it belongs to a secondary character. The choice to put that dog on the cover of this story was odd. It should have been a toy poodle like LouLou.

This is the first book in the Fur Haven Dog Park series. Book 2, Tail for Two, which will focus on one of Caleb’s brothers, will release this summer. I can’t wait to see what role Riley and Caleb might have in future stories, and I am thrilled to get more information on Caleb’s brothers. If you enjoy romance stories, and stories with great animal characters, don’t miss out on this one. (Sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan

REVIEW: The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Jazz is an administrative assistant at Saint Catherine’s Preparatory Academy by day, but in her free time, she trains human-remains-detection dogs. And one night she’s putting Luther the German Shepherd through his paces. She has access to an abandoned building, thanks to a friend. And since her mom’s having some dental work done, she has a freshly pulled tooth that she’s hidden on the third floor of the building for Luther to find. But Luther signals a find on the first floor. And it’s the body of someone Jazz knows.

Florie Allen had been a student at St. Catherine’s. After graduation, she had gone to the North Coast School of Photography and Design. She was a gifted photographer. Why was she found dead, in goth garb, in an abandoned building?

Finding a dead body when you aren’t expecting to is a big deal, even for someone who works search and rescue with cadaver dogs. But seeing Florie’s face made this personal for Jazz. She knew this girl. And she’s determined to find out what happened to her.

Review

I read this immediately after reading another search and rescue book, and I chose to read this one because I enjoyed  A Borrowing of Bones so much. I had hoped this would be just as terrific as those two titles. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me.

As an amateur sleuth/cozy mystery, this is a standard example of the genre. The mystery is solid. There are some quirks to the story to keep it interesting. The cop/former love interest didn’t really click for me, and I figured out the culprit fairly early on.

I expected more from the dog angle of the story. Luther is a borrowed dog. He’s not Jazz’s own animal, and his role in the mystery was small after the initial find. He was a reminder of a dog Jazz lost, and a prompt that she might be ready for a new dog, but that’s about it. Also, her work with dogs was a tie to her dead father, but even that story wasn’t as strong as it could have been.  In and of itself, the dog pieces were a let down. But compared to the two other books I mentioned that I had in my head as I read, this was where this book really suffered. The other books have really STRONG dog characterizations. My expectations from the cover and the book description were not met on the dog front.

The human characters fell flat for me, too. I couldn’t work up much emotion for the romantic subplot. The only character piece I really liked was Jazz’s dinner with her brothers. Maybe if there were more family pieces with her mom and brothers, as well as more with her friend Sarah and her love interest – I would have enjoyed Jazz more and connected better to the story.

This is a solid choice for mystery fans who care primarily about figuring out the murder. Search and rescue fans may want to try The Lovely and the Lost or A Borrowing of Bones instead – or an Andy Carpenter mystery – if you want a strong dog-related mystery.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

REVIEW: The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Freeform in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Kira was five, Cady found her, alone, in a forest. Wild. Feral. Cady took her in, fostered her, adopted her, and raised her with her own son, Jude. Jude, Kira, and their best friend, Free, call themselves the Miscreants. Always together, always ready to find or stir up trouble.

Together, Cady and the teens raise and train search and rescue dogs. Padawan is their young star, a gifted golden retriever. Silver is the older German Shepherd who is an emotional anchor for Kira when the trauma of her past threatens to pull her under. NATO and the Duchess are the bloodhounds. And Saskia is the temperamental husky whose own traumas make her a perfect partner for Kira. They understand each other in a special way.

Cady’s estranged father calls her in for a search and rescue in her home town. A 9-year-old girl has gone missing in the mountains. Cady, the teens and the dogs join the search process. And while Kira is determined to do for the girl what she herself needed at one time, she is not ready for what the case will stir up for her – and for her whole family.

Review

This was excellent! Classic Jennifer Lynn Barnes awesomeness. I was laughing on the first page, and in love with Jude by page 2. He’s a lot like the character Asher from The Fixer series – another character I adored. You can read my review of her other series here and here. From there, I quickly connected with Kira and the dogs, and I had to see how the story would play out.

You can see Barnes’ background in psychology with the development of Kira. Her reactions to childhood trauma and the emotional repercussions now felt completely on target. I felt like Kira had done some extensive work on her trauma issues even while there is obviously more work to be done.  And the writing of the dogs was terrific. I loved Silver and Saskia’s interactions with Kira especially.

If this had just been a psychological piece about Kira, I’d have been enthralled and happy to keep reading. But this is also a mystery/suspense story involving Cady’s family history, the missing girl, and some stunning and twisty developments. Outstanding!

This book is a perfect example of why Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a must read-author for me. She always delivers! This book is the full package – rich, fascinating characters; an engrossing plot; lots of snark and humor; and a story you don’t want to put down. I highly recommend this book to fans of suspense books, dog stories, and the author’s other books. (Trigger Warning – hints of abuse stories throughout could be triggering for some readers, although I thought the descriptions were pretty subtle for general readers.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

REVIEW: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

REVIEW: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Lucy was 8, she was hit by lightning. It stopped her heart for a couple minutes and activated part of her brain in a new way. Now Lucy is a mathematical genius. She can calculate long, complicated math problems in her head. It’s an awesome gift.

Because of her math gift, Lucy could go to college even though she is only 12. But Lucy’s grandmother is concerned that Lucy has missed some of the “soft skills” that other kids pick up in school and in activities with their peers. So they make a deal. Lucy needs to spend one year in seventh grade – make one friend, try one activity, read one book that isn’t about math. If Lucy does that for a year, she can then go to college or wherever she wants to go with her education.

Middle school is tough for any kid. Add in the fact that Lucy has been homeschooled for four years, she’s a math genius (which she wants to keep secret), and she has several OCD compulsions, and the difficulty level increases quite a bit. But Lucy has a lot to offer her new school if she’ll give it a try. She might even surprise herself along the way.

Review

This was exceptionally good! I adored Lucy and the other characters in this book. From the beginning I loved Lucy’s pre-teen awkwardness and her love of all things math. She has this fantastic confidence when it comes to her gift and when she is in settings where she feels safe. But she’s cautious in places – like school – where she doesn’t want to stand out any more than she already does with her compulsions (she has a sitting ritual as well as cleaning and counting compulsions).

As if Lucy wasn’t awesome enough on her own, she also finds a group. Through a school project Lucy finds true friendships as well as a place to put her math gift to use in the real world. It’s such a cool part of the story.

I thought this was realistic, too. Crummy things happen at school. People don’t understand Lucy’s compulsions (in part because she doesn’t open up about it, like with the English teacher). A few kids are unkind. Lucy struggles to find her voice and figure out where she wants to use it. Her problems don’t magically resolve at the end of the story. But great things happen for and through Lucy. And it was a treat to read her story. This will be a favorite for 2018. I highly recommend this for older elementary and middle school readers. Fans of Counting by 7s and Finding Perfect might enjoy this as well as readers who love fantastic, rich characters in their stories.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this outstanding book! All opinions are my own.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: About a Dog by Jenn McKinlay

REVIEW: About a Dog by Jenn McKinlay

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Seven years ago, Mackenzie was jilted at the altar. Then she slept with her best friend’s brother. Before anyone else found out, she left town, planning to never return.

But now her best friend, Emma, is getting married and Mackenzie has to return to Bluff Point. She and her boyfriend are “taking a break,” so she’s going to the wedding alone. Emma’s perfect solution is for Mackenzie to hang out with her brother! Gaven was recently dumped, and Emma reasons it will be good for both of them to have someone to hang out with for the wedding festivities.

Mackenzie is determined to forget that night with Gaven from so long ago. But Gaven thinks there are still sparks between them, and he’s confident he can rekindle things if he can get Mackenzie to give them a chance.

A sweet dog named Tulip helps pull the two together. But she may not be enough to keep them together.

Review

Jenn McKinlay is one of my favorite mystery authors. This is a very different kind of story than I’m used to from her – sexier, more language, and some juvenile humor and innuendo at times – but still a thoroughly enjoyable story.

The will-they-or-won’t-they tension is well-played with reasonable road blocks. Of course, most stories like this would be simply sorted out if everyone would just tell the whole truth from the beginning. But where’s the fun in that?!

The chemistry between the two main characters is great. The whole bridal party is a hoot, even if they can be crass at times. And the dog is an adorable part of the story. This is a fun, romantic romp with great characters.

Book 2, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, will be out in September and will focus on one of the other bridesmaids in Emma’s wedding. I’m looking forward to reading it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Chester and Gus by Cammie McGovern

REVIEW: Chester and Gus by Cammie McGovern

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Chester’s mom told all of her pups that the best thing in the world is to find your person and be a service dog to help your person.

But Chester gets SO scared by loud noises, he can’t be certified as a service dog. If he can’t do that, what sort of life can he have?

Then Chester is adopted by a family with an autistic son. While Gus initially doesn’t react well to Chester, in time they start to make small strides. Chester starts to understand his new person and the family and what they need. And then Chester is taken from his family.

Review

This was terrific! I enjoy stories that are told by the dog – like Magic Bone and Ellie’s Story – when authors do that style as well as McGovern did. Chester has a precious voice! He’s so bright (which the author explains in the story) and insightful.

The author uses her experience as a parent of an autistic child to craft a beautiful family for Chester. Gus’ parents are loving and earnest and desperate. They long to connect with Gus, and to see him make progress at school. They’re grasping at straws at times, looking for glimpses of recognition and understanding from Gus. And Chester helps all of them.

There’s a side plot with Chester’s trainer which felt… odd, to me. I felt like she took the story off in a weird direction. But she served to amp up the tension in the story, and Chester seems to help set her on a better path.

This was absolutely delightful. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥